Defense Pick Hagel Faces GOP Barrage

By

Sara Murray and

Julian E. Barnes

Updated Jan. 31, 2013 4:15 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON—Chuck Hagel, President Barack Obama's nominee to run the Pentagon, absorbed a withering Republican assault in a Senate hearing Thursday as he defended his record on defense issues and argued in favor of a cautious use of American military power.

The hearing presaged what could be a close party-line vote on his nomination. Conservative senators attacked his record on several fronts, including his support for Israel, his...